Nemu

That's how I built my first blaster on HC, focusing on typed defenses. The accessibility of winter sets made it easier to do so compared to live. I've since changed my approach. For Melee blasting S/L/R def is enough, most melee range attacks have an S/L component and the rest is essentially ranged. Ranged defense also covers any pure elemental range attacks that mobs throw at you, and those are more common than pure elemental melee attacks. As long as you move you can swing the odds in your favor by minimizing melee retaliation exposure and letting range defense do most of the work. Remember range defense works whether you are 10ft away from a mob or 80ft, as long as they can't swing at you. It's also OK to have less than softcapped S/L defense. Range defense is more important. Next slot attacks as attacks, and take combat jumping way earlier. You are already at a disadvantage when it comes to mezzes, so why delay the ONE immunity you can have for 49 levels, especially as a melee blaster? You are also missing some FF +rech and -rez proc opportunities. Here's an alternate version for you to reference. This Hero build was built using Mids Reborn 3.0.4.7 https://github.com/Reborn-Team/MidsReborn Click this DataLink to open the build! Level 49 Natural Blaster Primary Power Set: Dual Pistols Secondary Power Set: Martial Combat Power Pool: Leaping Power Pool: Speed Power Pool: Fighting Power Pool: Leadership Ancillary Pool: Mace Mastery Hero Profile: Level 1: Pistols -- SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg(A), SprDfnBrr-Dmg/Rchg(3), SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(3), SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(5), SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(5), SprDfnBrr-Rchg/+Status Protect(7) Level 1: Ki Push -- KntCmb-Acc/Dmg(A), KntCmb-Dmg/EndRdx(47), KntCmb-Dmg/Rchg(48), KntCmb-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(49) Level 2: Storm Kick -- Mk'Bit-Acc/Dmg(A), Mk'Bit-Dmg/EndRdx(7), Mk'Bit-Dmg/Rchg(15), Mk'Bit-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(15), Mk'Bit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(17), Mk'Bit-Dam%(17) Level 4: Combat Jumping -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Ksm-ToHit+(43), BlsoftheZ-Travel(46), BlsoftheZ-ResKB(47) Level 6: Reach for the Limit Level 8: Bullet Rain -- FrcFdb-Rechg%(A), OvrFrc-Dam/KB(9), Ann-ResDeb%(9), SprFrzBls-Acc/Dmg(11), SprFrzBls-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(11) Level 10: Super Speed -- BlsoftheZ-Travel/EndRdx(A), BlsoftheZ-ResKB(13), WntGif-ResSlow(43) Level 12: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(13) Level 14: Burst of Speed -- SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg(A), SprBlsWrt-Dmg/Rchg(19), SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(19), SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(25), SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(27), SprBlsWrt-Rchg/Dmg%(33) Level 16: Dragon's Tail -- SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(A), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg(36), SprAvl-Dmg/EndRdx(37), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(37), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(37) Level 18: Executioner's Shot -- SprWntBit-Acc/Dmg(A), SprWntBit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(33), SprWntBit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(34), SprWntBit-Dmg/EndRdx/Acc/Rchg(34), SprWntBit-Rchg/SlowProc(34), AchHee-ResDeb%(40) Level 20: Reaction Time -- PreOptmz-Acc/Rech(A), PreOptmz-EndMod/End(21), PreOptmz-EndMod/Rech(21), PreOptmz-EndMod/Acc/End(23), PreOptmz-EndMod/Acc/Rech(23), PreOptmz-EndMod/End/Rech(25) Level 22: Swap Ammo Level 24: Kick -- ExpStr-Dmg/KB(A), ExpStr-Acc/KB(48), ExpStr-Dam%(48) Level 26: Tough -- GldArm-3defTpProc(A), StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(27) Level 28: Weave -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx(29), ShlWal-Def(29), ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(31) Level 30: Maneuvers -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Rct-Def(31), Rct-Def/EndRdx(31), Rct-ResDam%(33) Level 32: Hail of Bullets -- FrcFdb-Rechg%(A), FuroftheG-ResDeb%(40), Erd-Dmg/Rchg(42), Erd-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(42), Erd-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(42), Arm-Dmg/Rchg(43) Level 35: Scorpion Shield -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(36), LucoftheG-Def(36) Level 38: Eagles Claw -- SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg(A), SprBlsCol-Dmg/EndRdx(39), SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(39), SprBlsCol-Dmg/EndRdx/Acc/Rchg(39), SprBlsCol-Rchg/HoldProc(40) Level 41: Inner Will -- RechRdx-I(A) Level 44: Piercing Rounds -- Artl-Acc/Dam(A), Artl-Dam/End(45), Artl-Dam/Rech(45), Artl-Acc/Dam/Rech(45), Artl-Acc/Rech/Rng(46), Artl-End/Rech/Rng(46) Level 47: Tactics -- HO:Cyto(A) Level 49: Vengeance -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A) Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A) Level 1: Defiance Level 1: Sprint -- UnbLea-Stlth(A) Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A) Level 2: Swift -- Empty(A) Level 2: Health -- Pnc-Heal/+End(A) Level 2: Hurdle -- Empty(A) Level 2: Stamina -- PrfShf-End%(A) Level 22: Chemical Ammunition Level 22: Cryo Ammunition Level 22: Incendiary Ammunition Level 50: Musculature Radial Paragon Level 50: Freedom Phalanx Reserve Level 50: Portal Jockey Level 50: Task Force Commander Level 50: The Atlas Medallion ------------ | Copy & Paste this data into Mids Reborn : Hero Designer to view the build | |-------------------------------------------------------------------| |MxDz;1467;708;1416;HEX;| |78DA6593CB4F135114C6EF3C4AA1B4D2A1E5514BA52D20D0CA80262E5C912862546| |A2AAC0D19616C479B76D24E232C5DB857A331E1E9D2F85A19F7FE1BEAC6950B054C| |5CF840339ECE770A354E32F33B731EF79CFBDD99DCCA4CF0D5853BD3420A9D2B19B| |5DAE2597A3A66D57FC570EA55A3241A979FEE380716E78D72C15CD667EA4669316F| |D59C4AA936DC8C2DD46DBB5275F49C51752C8AE78CB265D74B866355CADAC572D1A| |C9A65476F1AC17CA552D2E74CC3B6CA8580F7B2609BE672C83367AD42D1A1405733| |6BD9ACD68A961D3B6F5B4B7AB363CE5832E9D1B057FB69CC0CDDB1303DA4C6E0AE4| |F08558893AA9025A60CAA0A5305DB7C607858F0E52A224F48AB42BF0A4ECE83530B| |A046B912F7916E08AC53008F14991618BEC9BC05F692A60A6A15A547F27C993FF49| |A50C5C43BD9A3FE41F6FCDDD4C7875C3711C67190ADFAEF22DEFE51013F8181D7D8| |4BE00D3844051DA8913BDEA326C86B67E2A849534E277A489DD9C68C1D22C88C52F| |F10EF33B486FCEE75E606D8BF091EDD0293DB600FD576F1BC5D4F789E0D707893B9| |C5DC0607698F1AF7D39EC2977C06A69E335F305F82A36F693F11D295FA45B836F21| |DB1E80FE64FB0F717731FECFF0D0E50DF1ED659263DFA60CB7DB7B1F6E40A731554| |2827C69AC54EF1FE1B4574762AC5E27CBE713EDF8159C5D373E01278EC326A34CA4| |D706E82738FED72CE1E98FC86DC14CD38083D7D837CFEA3D3888D7FC67733FE85B9| |0366CEC8DE1AFB549BE63DA5B9CF5058F26243513046FA8D20471DB9075D8EDF673| |E603E64CD1F817D54338699C45816DF77927A6579CEACE2F37C2754A68FD9064EF8| |99ED6084F4D03183D04F13544544C937C53DA69A7AAA07FF6AE3C85C57A4D4833FD| |F9D6B8D2A502AAF72987C9257B11338F887D9B3D7EA4941D9DDFFB2BEB67A1E6375| |F7DF6B4DA3CF09CDDCF5167B433BFCCCE62254C9763E70685F6BB18D16FB7A8BFD1| |76A69F1C1| |-------------------------------------------------------------------|

Not really. There's still inertia, the drift is manageable though. I'd only toggle on mystic flight in situations where I absolutely need to keep distance, like those +4/8 non-incarnate no insp no temp enemy buffed ITFs. For regular melee blasting I'd never use mystic flight, using it in combat is a net reduction to your combat mobility. The only non-flight pool related power that does what hover does is inertial reduction from kinetics.

In order to redeem yourself you must find the cudgel of forgiveness. I've left clues scattered throughout these forums. First Clue - play the panda theme song at the top of the world to summon the Panda Sage, it will give you the second clue. Protip bring bamboo.

Time wall is a one slot wonder. Use it before time stop to one shot hold a boss. It should not be a part of your regular single target rotation though. You are missing out on some -res and force feedback proc opportunities, fire/cold defense is not all that useful outside of fire farms. Time stop has the potential to be specced as a proc monster that deals a lot of damage. The status/psionic resist IOs do nothing for blasters, the psi resist is inconsequential and high defense and breakfrees deal with mez far better than mez resist. You picked up quite a few melee range powers, how do you plan on handling/mitigating melee range retaliation?

Let's define where survival comes from: 1 - Defense/resistance: If enemies miss more or do less damage you live longer 2 - Active mitigation: KB/KD/Holds/Stuns/Sleep etc. If an enemy is mezzed or knocked down, they can't hurt you. 3 - Heal/Regen: If you can heal/regen back damage done to you faster than you take damage you live 4 - Kill it before it kills you: This is the blaster mantra, Here are some more subtle elements that contribute to survival that you won't see in build posts: 5 - Movement/Using Line of Sight, if enemies keep chasing you they are not attacking you 6 - Mob AI: kill all the minions in a group in one or two shots and you can make even bosses run, if they are running, they are not attacking you. Area slows also do wacky things to mob AI, and the time they spend running out of the slow patch is time you can spend attacking them with relatively impunity. From what I see you are focusing too much on #1. Energy/Mental has knock back and a fantastic AV killing sustain in drain psyche, and of course blasters have damage, There are opportunities to fit all 6 factors that contribute to survival into your blaster, some through builds, some through playstyle. I've done these kind of build help before, if you care to take a look at these posts. Build request: Dual Pistols / Dark Manipulation - Blaster - Homecoming (homecomingservers.com) Help me fix this mess (Beam/Temp) - Blaster - Homecoming (homecomingservers.com) On defense I'll reiterate that even if you plan on going into melee Range defense is still more important than melee defense or S/L defense. Why? Because smart blasters don't stay in melee. Melee defense also doesn't help against all the other mobs shooting at you, and a lot of those ranged attacks have debuffs. Learn how to joust to minimize your exposure to melee, it'll change the way you play the game. I described the technique in the dual pistols/dark manipulation post. I'll respect your decision not to take the snipe, and I'm also going to assume that arcane bolt and enflame are pet powers you want to keep and use. If that's not the case then we can further optimize I'll start on the most glaring thing that you can fix - Slot energy torrent and explosive blast. Not only do they do area knockback which can be converted into knock down, they are also a means for you to kill fodder quickly. You are not a scrapper, if you focus on single target you are missing out on what makes blasters fun and exciting. Secondly plan out your power pick progression. The Nexous build has only power blast, power burst and arcane bolt, all single target and 2 of which are fairly weak, as real attacks until level 30. And drain psyche is picked up at level 32, nova at 35. Do you want to be effective when you exemp down for TFs? If this is a 50 only build then yea slap the powers together in whatever order you wish but if you want something that be effective throughout the levels then mind your power pick progression. Here are powers that I would take as early as possible: Energy torrent and Explosive blast for the reasons I stated above, Aim or Build up to give you extra on demand burst at lower levels, Drain Psyche because that's your sustain, and Nova because that's your nuke. Most newbie builds suffer from the same mistakes - lack of focus and the belief that a full set is always the best way to slot something, and the penchant to slot any power that has a healing component for maximum healing. I get that your are enamored with enflame and rune of protection, there's still room to fit them both in before or by level 30. So build goals - Have decent defense, good enough recharge to keep drain psyche up as much as possible, fit enflame and rune of protection by level 30 Defense is the easy part, if you read the posts I linked above you'll see that it's just about stacking the same type of defense bonus from different sets in different powers over and over until you hit the number you want. The beam/temp thread lists all the sets that are good for range defense This makes balancing the need for recharge a bit harder though. However, one thing that can help is that a lot of your attacks do knockback and some of those are perfect places to put a force feedback proc which provides a momentary boost to recharge. Area attacks are decent choices for this proc, as is any attack with a base recharge of 10 seconds or more. You can still fit your pet powers in by 30 and have an effective blaster throughout all the levels, level progression can look something like this: This Hero build was built using Mids Reborn 3.0.4.7 https://github.com/Reborn-Team/MidsReborn Click this DataLink to open the build! Level 49 Magic Blaster Primary Power Set: Energy Blast Secondary Power Set: Mental Manipulation Power Pool: Sorcery Power Pool: Leaping Power Pool: Speed Power Pool: Leadership Hero Profile: Level 1: Power Bolt -- Empty(A) Level 1: Subdual -- Empty(A) Level 2: Energy Torrent -- Empty(A) Level 4: Mystic Flight -- Empty(A) Level 6: Power Burst -- Empty(A) Level 8: Combat Jumping -- Empty(A) Level 10: Arcane Bolt -- Empty(A) Level 12: Aim -- Empty(A) Level 14: Hasten -- Empty(A) Level 16: Concentration -- Empty(A) Level 18: Enflame -- Empty(A) Level 20: Drain Psyche -- Empty(A) Level 22: Rune of Protection -- Empty(A) Level 24: Maneuvers -- Empty(A) Level 26: Explosive Blast -- Empty(A) Level 28: Tactics -- Empty(A) Level 30: Spirit Ward -- Empty(A) Level 32: Nova -- Empty(A) Level 35: [Empty] Level 38: [Empty] Level 41: [Empty] Level 44: [Empty] Level 47: [Empty] Level 49: [Empty] Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A) Level 1: Defiance Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A) Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A) Level 2: Swift -- Empty(A) Level 2: Health -- Empty(A) Level 2: Hurdle -- Empty(A) Level 2: Stamina -- Empty(A) ------------ I took combat jumping instead of hover because combat jumping is a better movement power overall. It's better for jousting and it provides immobilization protection which hover doesn't, and an immobile blaster is a dead blaster. If you wish you can take a crack at using that progression and filling out the rest of the build while working towards the goal of getting 45% range defense. That exercise should help you understand the importance of focus when planning a build.

War Panda Action Panda Nuuka Panda Pottymouth Panda Ol Dirty Panda

Both builds lack focus, spreading out set bonuses across different types of defense and tiny bits of resistance here and there won't help your survival AT ALL. Not taking snipe is also questionable as well as the lack of slotting on your two area attacks. But before we dig deeper, what's your game plan? Hover above and shoot, keeping yourself at range as much as possible or are you willing to go into melee range and mix it up?

I think some of these toggle debuffs like RI, spore cloud and darkest night are due for an animation speed up. That can contribute to the feel bad when the anchor gets killed.

Woah Woah Woah!!! Pump the brake there, he's gotta drive a Civic first before moving up to a Ferrari. This is an RPG after all. All newbie blasters start with AR/Fire, I saw it posted as a rule somewhere on the internet. Jokes aside, Elec/Eng is one of my favorites besides the obvious. It's got a unique mechanic and can keep a melee blaster relatively safe. Obviously it's efficacy diminishes with the purple patch but it's still one of the better mass drainers out there.

Beginners start with all ranged hover blasters, most will hover, have decent range defense and use bonfire as further mitigation. /Tactical arrow is the best secondary that lends to this playstyle and all primaries are viable. If you think you have what it takes then you can skip blaster 101 and go right into melee blasters. If you can get good at that then you will most likely reflect on your experience playing CoH and regret the fact that you wasted so much of your short life playing not blasters.

Instead of 6 reactive defenses isn't it more efficient to do 1 lotg +5 red fortunes if you are shooting for recharge? assuming that you haven't consumed all 5 lotg slots already. If you are shooting for perma-mind link then you don't need Maneuvers. Foresight has more base defense value than Mask Presence, it pays to slot that rather than mask presence if you want to squeeze in more defense values from enhancements. Perma hasten is not the end all be all. 3 slot is inefficient, 2 +5 rech IO is more than enough. I'd put a force feedback proc in psionic tornado. It'll proc enough times to get you to perma hasten. If you are going to depend on mind link for defense then slows will be one of your bigger weaknesses. You have 50%, slow resist which is a good start, but there's room to fit more slow resist in. 6 slotting leadership is also inefficient, you are already over the softcap with mindlink, another 2.5% to all positional doesn't really add any more value. You still have enough defense to soak in one -def debuff. I debate the usefulness of combat training: offensive. The to hit debuff resist is nice, especially early game against CoT ruin mages and spectral lords, but you also have access to kismet, leadership, aim, and followup which can help you counter that debuff. You don't really need the +acc, most high end fort builds will invest in purple sets for recharge and you can most likely get 20-30% acc bonus from those purple sets. If you are just getting fly why not mystic flight? This is my build for reference This Villain build was built using Mids Reborn 3.0.4.7 https://github.com/Reborn-Team/MidsReborn Click this DataLink to open the build! Fortune Weaver Proc: Level 50 Natural Arachnos Widow Primary Power Set: Fortunata Training Secondary Power Set: Fortunata Teamwork Power Pool: Sorcery Power Pool: Leaping Power Pool: Speed Ancillary Pool: Soul Mastery Villain Profile: Level 1: Poison Dart -- SprSpdBit-Acc/Dmg(A), SprSpdBit-Dmg/Rchg(3), SprSpdBit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(3), SprSpdBit-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(5), SprSpdBit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(5), SprSpdBit-Rchg/Global Toxic(7) Level 1: Combat Training: Defensive -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Ksm-ToHit+(7) Level 2: Strike -- SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(A), SprBlsCol-Dmg/EndRdx/Acc/Rchg(9), CrsImp-Dmg/EndRdx(9), CrsImp-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(11), CrsImp-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(11) Level 4: Mystic Flight -- WntGif-ResSlow(A) Level 6: Tactical Training: Maneuvers -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx(13), ShlWal-Def(13), ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(31) Level 8: Follow Up -- SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg(A), SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(31), Hct-Dmg/EndRdx(31), Hct-Dam%(33), GldStr-%Dam(33), GssSynFr--Build%(33) Level 10: Indomitable Will -- StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), GldArm-3defTpProc(34) Level 12: Combat Jumping -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A) Level 14: Spin -- SprDmnofA-Acc/Dmg(A), SprDmnofA-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(15), SprDmnofA-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(15), SprDmnofA-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(17), SprDmnofA-Rchg/DmgFear%(29), FuroftheG-ResDeb%(29) Level 16: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(17) Level 18: Psionic Tornado -- SprFrzBls-Acc/Dmg(A), SprFrzBls-Dmg/EndRdx(19), SprFrzBls-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(19), Bmbdmt-+FireDmg(21), Ann-ResDeb%(21), FrcFdb-Rechg%(27) Level 20: Mask Presence -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A) Level 22: Foresight -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Rct-Def(23), Rct-Def/EndRdx(23), Rct-ResDam%(27) Level 24: Mind Link -- RedFrt-Def/Rchg(A), Rct-Def/Rchg(25), AdjTrg-ToHit/Rchg(25) Level 26: Tactical Training: Leadership -- HO:Cyto(A) Level 28: Spirit Ward -- Prv-Absorb%(A) Level 30: Rune of Protection -- UnbGrd-ResDam(A), UnbGrd-Max HP%(46) Level 32: Psychic Wail -- Arm-Dmg/Rchg(A), Arm-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(34), Arm-Acc/Rchg(37), Arm-Dmg/EndRdx(40), Arm-Dam%(43) Level 35: Dominate -- SprEnt-Acc/Hold(A), SprEnt-Acc/Hold/End(36), SprEnt-Rchg/AbsorbProc(36), UnbCns-Dam%(36), Dmg-I(37), Dmg-I(37) Level 38: Aura of Confusion -- CrcPrs-Conf(A), CrcPrs-Conf/Rchg(39), CrcPrs-Acc/Conf/Rchg(39), CrcPrs-Acc/Rchg(39), CrcPrs-Conf/EndRdx(40), CrcPrs-Conf%(40) Level 41: Gloom -- Apc-Dmg(A), Apc-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(42), Apc-Acc/Rchg(42), Apc-Dmg/EndRdx(42), Apc-Dam%(43), Dcm-Build%(43) Level 44: Dark Obliteration -- Rgn-Dmg(A), Rgn-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(45), Rgn-Acc/Rchg(45), Rgn-Dmg/EndRdx(45), Rgn-Knock%(46) Level 47: Lunge -- SprBlsCol-Dmg/EndRdx(A), SprBlsCol-Rchg/HoldProc(48), Mk'Bit-Acc/Dmg(48), Mk'Bit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(48), Mk'Bit-Dmg/EndRdx(50), Mk'Bit-Dam%(50) Level 49: Confuse -- HO:Endo(A) Level 1: Conditioning | Hidden Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A) Level 1: Sprint -- UnbLea-Stlth(A) Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A) Level 2: Swift -- Run-I(A) Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A) Level 2: Health -- Pnc-Heal/+End(A), Mrc-Rcvry+(50) Level 2: Stamina -- PrfShf-End%(A), PwrTrns-EndMod(34), PwrTrns-+Heal(46) Level 1: Prestige Power Dash -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Slide -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Quick -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Rush -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Surge -- Empty(A) Level 4: Ninja Run Level 50: Musculature Radial Paragon Level 50: Born In Battle Level 50: Invader Level 50: High Pain Threshold Level 50: Marshal ------------ ------------ | Copy & Paste this data into Mids Reborn : Hero Designer to view the build | |-------------------------------------------------------------------| |MxDz;1541;731;1462;HEX;| |78DA6594DB4F135110C6CF76B7D6962260B95A0A2D8A54A0A545C0784544AA20280| |622C6A8755356A8946EDD16D1471F7C17B99A9810A33EF8E293FA6C62FC5B7CE262| |3426C6903ADD6FD2D6B449F33BE79B993333677A3AF6F8A2F3C3A5A7FD42AA1E4CA| |8E97474C05063B3493D1D9D8A4FEB8BB6AB6A66C15013B210C215D18DCC4252F34E| |69EA23CDF08E1B7ACC46BACFF48C4E1A6A3C194FCE04E1A666D4BCE49ED4D4F945D| |D982BB6B1249CE3BA9E084EE8464C339E6033AAA9290A73C092D2B4E932731949C4| |676633B543A9782C78636860323AA12F24A2636A3A43A1F5544A077D379D823F59A| |B482842841561996726414567A6C07D0FC14107854966AC246A24D8F668EB51C46B| |279B44569196E1BF7F85A90A938E69A6062EB70A212346C86ED9D48628871539642| |BE7704660738E804D57C03794D36666CD5A6DCF91ABE905B3DD62D2DBC1F423C6FB| |1EFB08E5B1732FF63AC9ECC1D70D9F5A9A5B196CA28C6B784BB9CAF9DECA57E0776| |08DB90E566E808D2F99FD600B9D57C1B92A724308DB45257395CEADE273AB3EA2F6| |839F989FC16A8B15FC8EF30E3D430FE7A80717D7E9E23A8749ABE1FBAB61AD769BF| |BDAE1F89F603FF9D6C1D752976B98EAA9FF21839B169397C9A7817334F41214592C| |D1DCDC3C37F716CE5A23CD034DF2FC8216F8036E508FCDFCDB683E89DA7DA7C023A| |7C1B63360FB597085625A90D7DAF205F770F82BF31B7398CFF088FF78816A6EE53B| |6DBD0D9FA37798779951CE7B8FA9827FA9643FC7FA3BA11D0B32BB9821AE35CC7C4| |5EE6D8AD893F1C6727D7674C3D6D9C3EC65F6818113E03BEA33C8F9824BE8AB6B95| |791FFD743D00C333CC39F03CF519E23984FA309B6B4AFE8D661B95FC5BCF6DB3593| |15AB0D2D34305E34AFEE50AC9F4DAA27325F69202C8B55DACF9A1ED143449F261D6| |E111C9BC8BDD82CD22ADF3CC77D157E037D85E525FA844099728C74B949E12C55E9| |9FF67C167D44519F95AAE3B0AEB9B45EBA9A2F5ADA2F53F268AF670| |-------------------------------------------------------------------|

Not bad for a first attempt. There are of course areas of improvement. First tighten up your focus on the types/vectorrs of defense you want to build up. I play a lot of melee blasters and I can tell you that having high S/L and ranged defense is enough to cover 99% of attacks in this game. Most melee range attacks/area attacks have a S/L component, and outside of melee range, range defense takes care of the rest. What that means is that you can immediately reclaim the 6th slot from all the winter sets you slotted and use them for something else. Fire/cold defense is great for fire farms, but pretty inconsequential for the rest of the game when you have S/L/R defense. Secondly turn off all the yellow dots and green dots on your attack powers. Hail of bullets give a momentary defense boost to melee/range/aoe defense and leaving it on skews your defense numbers. Your actual range defense without hail of bullets is 31.11%. The decimation proc in penumbral grasp bumps up your chances to hit but it doesn't proc all the time, the force feedback proc will bump up your recharge to nutty levels but again it doesn't proc all the time, those procs will skew the numbers so turn them off. Do turn the green dot on touch of the beyond on though, as that will show you your endurance recovery with the sustain active, which it should be most of the time. If we are going to go this survival approach I assume your primary focus is on S/L/R defense, then recharge, then HP+slow resist. Getting S/L to softcap is pretty easy with scorpion shield, which you should enhance. The difficult part is doing that AND beefing up range defense. Of the two prioritize range defense for the reasons I described in my first post, it's OK if you can't hit softcap on either, especially if you team and you'll most likely have people running maneuvers. A few glaring things right off the bat - you don't need 3 slots in hasten, +5 two level 50 recharge IOs and call it a day. You are also missing the steadfast protection 3% def unique. Soul drain need to connect and your accuracy is too low in that power, same with dark consumption. Scorpion shield should be enhanced - it has higher base value and adds 4% more S/L/E when enhanced which can take as little as 2 additional slots. It's a lot more slot efficient than kinetic combat, for example, which requires 3 additional slots for 3.75% s/l defense. Quick tweak, ignore procs and focus on getting the set bonuses by slotting the sets that contribute just to that goal, and you can get something like this. When you focus you get results: This Hero build was built using Mids Reborn 3.0.4.7 https://github.com/Reborn-Team/MidsReborn Click this DataLink to open the build! Deathly Hollow-Point: Level 50 Technology Blaster Primary Power Set: Dual Pistols Secondary Power Set: Darkness Manipulation Power Pool: Leaping Power Pool: Leadership Power Pool: Fighting Power Pool: Speed Ancillary Pool: Mace Mastery Hero Profile: Level 1: Pistols -- Thn-Acc/Dmg(A), Thn-Dmg/EndRdx(5), Thn-Dmg/Rchg(5), Thn-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(7), Thn-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(7), Thn-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(21) Level 1: Penumbral Grasp -- Empty(A) Level 2: Dual Wield -- SprDfnBrr-Rchg/+Status Protect(A), SprDfnBrr-Dmg/Rchg(3), SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(9), SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(9), SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg(11), SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(13) Level 4: Empty Clips -- Artl-Acc/Dam(A), Artl-Acc/Dam/Rech(13), Artl-Acc/Rech/Rng(15), Artl-Dam/Rech(17), Artl-Dam/End(17), Artl-End/Rech/Rng(39) Level 6: Swap Ammo Level 8: Bullet Rain -- Artl-Acc/Dam(A), Artl-End/Rech/Rng(15), Artl-Dam/End(25), Artl-Dam/Rech(25), Artl-Acc/Dam/Rech(40), Artl-Acc/Rech/Rng(48) Level 10: Super Jump -- WntGif-ResSlow(A) Level 12: Maneuvers -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Rct-Def(19), Rct-Def/EndRdx(43), Rct-ResDam%(47) Level 14: Combat Jumping -- LucoftheG-Def(A) Level 16: Soul Drain -- Obl-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(A), RctRtc-Pcptn(19), Arm-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(21), RctRtc-ToHit/Rchg(31) Level 18: Executioner's Shot -- SprWntBit-Rchg/SlowProc(A), SprWntBit-Acc/Dmg(31), SprWntBit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(31), SprWntBit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(34), SprWntBit-Dmg/EndRdx/Acc/Rchg(36) Level 20: Touch of the Beyond -- CldSns-ToHitDeb(A), CldSns-Acc/ToHitDeb(27), CldSns-Acc/Rchg(29), CldSns-ToHitDeb/EndRdx/Rchg(36), CldSns-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(39), CldSns-%Dam(47) Level 22: Shadow Maul -- SprAvl-Acc/Dmg(A), SprAvl-Dmg/EndRdx(23), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(23), SprAvl-Rchg/KDProc(27), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(40) Level 24: Kick -- FrcFdb-Rechg%(A) Level 26: Piercing Rounds -- Artl-Acc/Dam(A), Artl-Dam/End(36), Artl-Acc/Dam/Rech(37), Artl-Dam/Rech(37), Artl-Acc/Rech/Rng(37), Artl-End/Rech/Rng(39) Level 28: Dark Consumption -- Arm-Acc/Rchg(A) Level 30: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(43) Level 32: Hail of Bullets -- SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg(A), SprBlsWrt-Dmg/Rchg(33), SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(33), SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(33), SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(34), SprBlsWrt-Rchg/Dmg%(34) Level 35: Tough -- GldArm-3defTpProc(A), StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(46) Level 38: Midnight Grasp -- SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg(A), SprBlsCol-Dmg/EndRdx(40), SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(42), SprBlsCol-Rchg/HoldProc(46), SprBlsCol-Dmg/EndRdx/Acc/Rchg(50) Level 41: Dark Pit -- AbsAmz-Acc/Stun/Rchg(A), AbsAmz-Stun/Rchg(42), AbsAmz-EndRdx/Stun(42), AbsAmz-Stun(43), AbsAmz-Acc/Rchg(46) Level 44: Weave -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx(45), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx/Rchg(45), ShlWal-Def(45) Level 47: Smite -- KntCmb-Acc/Dmg(A), KntCmb-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(48), KntCmb-Dmg/Rchg(50), KntCmb-Knock%(50) Level 49: Scorpion Shield -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(49), LucoftheG-Def(49) Level 1: Defiance Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A) Level 1: Sprint -- Clr-Stlth(A) Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A) Level 2: Swift -- Run-I(A) Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A) Level 2: Health -- Pnc-Heal/+End(A) Level 2: Stamina -- PrfShf-End%(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Dash -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Slide -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Quick -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Rush -- Empty(A) Level 1: Prestige Power Surge -- Empty(A) Level 4: Ninja Run Level 50: The Atlas Medallion Level 50: Task Force Commander Level 50: Portal Jockey Level 6: Chemical Ammunition Level 6: Cryo Ammunition Level 6: Incendiary Ammunition Level 50: Musculature Radial Paragon ------------ | Copy & Paste this data into Mids Reborn : Hero Designer to view the build | |-------------------------------------------------------------------| |MxDz;1564;735;1470;HEX;| |78DA6594CB6F125114C667981929B4F421F441296DA16F5A465057BA3051AC5AC19| |0B65BD38CED04264E1884C196A50BF76A34262DF4E1CAF8FAA77C6E6C4D5C9A8887| |F90E2D9109F0BBF7DC73BE73EE997BC9ECA47A3EDD7A724D107D374CAD5CDEB84EB| |FB65EF2AEEB9BF982655AB9AA404F20A56B76DEAC4EDEB64CD3DA8E672DA360BB69| |21C4FE1BAB5A21A76FA9A98A666E648DB26D99E599D6DA5AA558B44AB69AD24A0F0| |B3A25C96805A3583135DBB00A424FD6B24C35AD6B45A390EB6B4DB6F452396F147D| |CE7CD9C8E56D5AF53AB3B5A2AE6F056F168D4DB59521A36DEAF4D31C5747A8AC387| |D83FD023F0D45A81392B220EF330FC07347CC3760E0901896854781D358FAD0238C| |929AC86AA2223BDE2E11EC929912E815C01E1718A25889632549C1DA39B0D70DF62| |B4C59712A98EDC27C8C62152771A311A6B19B75DCACD3CB7E23329375E658FF02EB| |0F53A08777E409498E6D806CDDD096BA0745C776FE186BB113C9A943FD8DF910F9F| |AE02BF802F0AD5097FA44D189EFFBEB427C9DE8A74E5EC17CBC86F904D53E80FCF2| |C047F465FC2DF31D18790F4E7D001F93BE1F3915FF679753CFE81770EC2B38F50D9| |CFD0EAA3F409B620739DF600D7A4375E63E387A04CE1DF2FBA43D0EF31E879FA2FE| |49AA3BC83D0F72CFA7B8D7D3DCE369EEF934F7BAF5EEB6A98610F73C74157A51CA1| |1460E31BC885317634628D704E79AD845DF27F79835661D8CEC330F408974A38815| |A317618B373743BDA8521D33DC8B9967BCE7E7E0C20B30FE0A4CBE047728669E63E| |6D3A87DE12EF31E185B01E31950A61A16F93C2DF2795A5A462D4B77982B6089F455| |E84B6A9610A5B3BA06265799EBE01FEA4B02BAAE04EB26FA9BF408890018A1B205B| |E2763F2FFB7377DB64AD700D566E5D31B2D888ED74F2F59D84B8CE39D1CB7DBE661| |3B69B745B09F5FEDB6D7C8D0146DC43A8A497458921D964B1D96CB1D16CFD9DF4AE| |301A54FF2F6B5B6F1FDB6F12EDD3F85FDF7DAC6B5B671DA7FE6FF0FE5EBF9FA| |-------------------------------------------------------------------| But you can still play around it and fit the procs in. You will need to make some sacrifices though. At that level of optimization slots become incredibly tight, every slot counts. You will also see in the next build my power pick progression. If you ever try to exemp down or play a leveling build that progression matters. I build all my characters to be as self sufficient as possible by level 30. This Hero build was built using Mids Reborn 3.0.4.7 https://github.com/Reborn-Team/MidsReborn Click this DataLink to open the build! Level 50 Technology Blaster Primary Power Set: Dual Pistols Secondary Power Set: Darkness Manipulation Power Pool: Speed Power Pool: Leaping Power Pool: Fighting Power Pool: Leadership Ancillary Pool: Mace Mastery Hero Profile: Level 1: Pistols -- SprWntBit-Acc/Dmg(A), SprWntBit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(43), SprWntBit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(43), SprWntBit-Dmg/EndRdx/Acc/Rchg(43), SprWntBit-Rchg/SlowProc(46) Level 1: Penumbral Grasp -- Empty(A) Level 2: Dual Wield -- SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg(A), SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(3), SprDfnBrr-Dmg/Rchg(3), SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(7), SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(7), SprDfnBrr-Rchg/+Status Protect(42) Level 4: Super Speed -- BlsoftheZ-Travel/EndRdx(A), WntGif-ResSlow(5), BlsoftheZ-ResKB(5) Level 6: Swap Ammo Level 8: Bullet Rain -- SprFrzBls-Acc/Dmg(A), Rgn-Dmg/EndRdx(9), SprFrzBls-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(9), Ann-ResDeb%(13), FrcFdb-Rechg%(13) Level 10: Combat Jumping -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Ksm-ToHit+(11) Level 12: Smite -- Mk'Bit-Acc/Dmg(A), Mk'Bit-Dmg/EndRdx(15), Mk'Bit-Dmg/Rchg(17), Mk'Bit-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(17), Mk'Bit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(42), Mk'Bit-Dam%(42) Level 14: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(15) Level 16: Soul Drain -- SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg(A), SprBlsWrt-Dmg/Rchg(47), SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(47), SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(48), SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(48), SprBlsWrt-Rchg/Dmg%(48) Level 18: Executioner's Shot -- Thn-Acc/Dmg(A), Thn-Dmg/EndRdx(19), Thn-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(19), Apc-Dam%(31), FrcFdb-Rechg%(37), AchHee-ResDeb%(40) Level 20: Touch of the Beyond -- PreOptmz-Acc/Rech(A), PreOptmz-EndMod/End(21), PreOptmz-EndMod/Rech(21), PreOptmz-EndMod/Acc/End(23), PreOptmz-EndMod/Acc/Rech(23), PreOptmz-EndMod/End/Rech(25) Level 22: Kick -- Empty(A) Level 24: Tough -- StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), GldArm-3defTpProc(25) Level 26: Piercing Rounds -- Artl-Acc/Dam(A), Artl-Dam/End(27), Artl-Dam/Rech(27), Artl-Acc/Dam/Rech(33), Artl-Acc/Rech/Rng(33), Artl-End/Rech/Rng(34) Level 28: Weave -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), ShlWal-Def/EndRdx(29), ShlWal-Def(29), ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(33) Level 30: Maneuvers -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), HO:Cyto(31), Rct-ResDam%(31) Level 32: Hail of Bullets -- Erd-Dmg(A), Erd-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(34), Erd-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(34), Arm-Dmg/Rchg(36), FuroftheG-ResDeb%(37), FrcFdb-Rechg%(37) Level 35: Scorpion Shield -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), LucoftheG-Def/EndRdx(36), LucoftheG-Def(36) Level 38: Midnight Grasp -- SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg(A), SprBlsCol-Dmg/EndRdx(39), SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(39), SprBlsCol-Dmg/EndRdx/Acc/Rchg(39), SprBlsCol-Rchg/HoldProc(40) Level 41: Dark Pit -- AbsAmz-Acc/Rchg(A), AbsAmz-Acc/Stun/Rchg(49), AbsAmz-Stun(49), AbsAmz-Stun/Rchg(50), AbsAmz-EndRdx/Stun(50) Level 44: Dark Consumption -- SprAvl-Acc/Dmg(A), SprAvl-Rchg/KDProc(45), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(45), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(45), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(46) Level 47: Tactics -- HO:Cyto(A) Level 49: Vengeance -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A) Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A) Level 1: Defiance Level 1: Sprint -- Empty(A) Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A) Level 2: Swift -- Run-I(A) Level 2: Health -- Pnc-Heal/+End(A) Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A) Level 2: Stamina -- PrfShf-End%(A) Level 6: Chemical Ammunition Level 6: Cryo Ammunition Level 6: Incendiary Ammunition Level 50: Musculature Radial Paragon ------------ | Copy & Paste this data into Mids Reborn : Hero Designer to view the build | |-------------------------------------------------------------------| |MxDz;1397;690;1380;HEX;| |78DA6593CB4F13511487EF74EEF0282DB4B63C4A29D01604444630D1C415892226D| |01A22EEC904C676A4E98C7D282C5DB857A331E1293BE36B65DCFB77E8DE98889AB0| |F081663C9DDF29569DB4F3DD7BEE79DF39D9B599C0CB4BB7A78512BC5030CAE5A5F| |3F4AE9825FF5573395FB40B766E5DD49E66FAC7F96CE98A51CC992BFA4CD5282C2D| |58E58A5D280FD7CF16AB8E63972AFA8C515A2D9AE4306B142DA75A302A965D14FE0| |5DB2EE88B8E69AE04BC65C6341CAB980B7A9B592B97AFD0AEA37EB46296CA79CB89| |5D74AC65BD1E216B2C9BF4AAADD77B28AD34FD63217A29B5445D299E4821A6A438F| |194F98CF91C9C7801DE880A7E5CFAD1237A43EC44B89A22A0E5F33115B049654A70| |4C03D3D42115B63EF5ADCF93C9B80ABEC3BE8FFC6BC8D24D84D0D45AC6CDAFE0A3E| |56C4DAF55B4BCC63EF01EF6813BB0EF228356D82BAD9D8A27F3FFA26D428A1255D3| |8633ADED9AF0CEDA736028CFB4C0B1EBCC5530457E83EC37382EBC1CDA9955F2DBE| |175C5D53A36908FBEC9DC024F6D337798BBE000D518E69CC2DB88756C87B907F64F| |A1B621AE71E40D3122C54D8A1B61DBC857F423FA8DF91DECFAC13C047B7EF25D513| |D9D7CB39DDECDAA24E9E60ABB6B0BEA58CF6964394859C6F8D663AAE6C97A255303| |079B98CD60B20594E4370EBF6A9C6FA46F56F53AD737070ECE234E987413D0F5255| |8B7FF0C6DA52AFA0FA093A45C063897810F3E2FCFE447E63E983E87AF64685AFDAB| |7387649B62FF29F69F0E31A3E03A757598E764F82EBA75FC1EF33EF30138F2105C2| |39B51FE5247B3883D9961CE21F6D43CF332788B6CC6D9667C0B7E4EEE317798BB3C| |8F8FC108F547476E42E7BE444936C9373959EFAFFC776E93F268FADDCC7FA70BF26| |8AA85E249F6FD24E148CA04BEC3CF8DB2243AFBA951360ABD2F8DB247A876234C73| |8D08EE66C37A2BFC67DE331152E5F56F714CD6A2| |-------------------------------------------------------------------| I don't have the time to break down each power and each slotting, if you want to understand my approach read the other post I linked which goes through the process of optimizing and how some decisions are made. That'll give you the overall idea of focus and optimizing builds and the rest is just understanding which IO sets give which bonuses, which will come over time as you play around in Mids.

This is the build I had in mind. It's a bit off the beaten path. The goals I had when I worked on this build is to prioritize recharge and get range defense up to 32.5% with a smattering of slow resist. The rationale behind the recharge focus is to maximize soul drain uptime, and you can get pretty close to perma if force feedback procs. One side benefit of not including maneuvers/tough/weave to stack defense is that your end consumption is pretty light, which allowed me to slot cloud senses instead of preemptive optimization(my default set in blaster sustains) into touch of beyond for better set bonuses. Oppressive gloom, dark pit, suppressive fire and soul storm make up your control package but you should still dance delicately in melee range. Instead of super speed I took speed of sound, It looses the stealth component but you gain a teleport which might be useful in getting you out of a jam. Stealth/invisibility is important for blasters however, as you can get first strike on mobs, so I fit in stealth and a stealth proc in sprint for that. Adrenal booster is just a for fun pick, you can replace with grant invisibility for a constant LOTG 7.5% global recharge bonus. This Hero build was built using Mids Reborn 3.0.4.7 https://github.com/Reborn-Team/MidsReborn Click this DataLink to open the build! Level 50 Magic Blaster Primary Power Set: Dual Pistols Secondary Power Set: Darkness Manipulation Power Pool: Experimentation Power Pool: Leaping Power Pool: Concealment Power Pool: Speed Ancillary Pool: Soul Mastery Hero Profile: Level 1: Pistols -- SprWntBit-Acc/Dmg(A), SprWntBit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(3), SprWntBit-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(3), SprWntBit-Dmg/EndRdx/Acc/Rchg(5), SprWntBit-Rchg/SlowProc(5) Level 1: Penumbral Grasp -- Empty(A) Level 2: Dual Wield -- SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg(A), SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(7), SprDfnBrr-Dmg/Rchg(7), SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(9), SprDfnBrr-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(9), SprDfnBrr-Rchg/+Status Protect(11) Level 4: Speed of Sound -- BlsoftheZ-ResKB(A), WntGif-ResSlow(13), BlsoftheZ-Travel/EndRdx(13) Level 6: Swap Ammo Level 8: Bullet Rain -- FrcFdb-Rechg%(A), Ann-ResDeb%(15), SprFrzBls-Acc/Dmg(15), SprFrzBls-Dmg/EndRdx(17), SprFrzBls-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(17) Level 10: Combat Jumping -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A), Ksm-ToHit+(11), ShlWal-ResDam/Re TP(46), Rct-ResDam%(49) Level 12: Smite -- Hct-Dmg(A), Hct-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(45), Hct-Acc/Rchg(45), Hct-Dmg/EndRdx(46), Hct-Dam%(46) Level 14: Stealth -- LucoftheG-Def/Rchg+(A) Level 16: Soul Drain -- SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg(A), SprBlsWrt-Dmg/Rchg(29), SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(31), SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(31), SprBlsWrt-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(31), SprBlsWrt-Rchg/Dmg%(34) Level 18: Executioner's Shot -- Apc-Dam%(A), Apc-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(19), Apc-Dmg(19), Apc-Acc/Rchg(21), Apc-Dmg/EndRdx(21), AchHee-ResDeb%(23) Level 20: Touch of the Beyond -- CldSns-ToHitDeb(A), CldSns-Acc/ToHitDeb(25), CldSns-Acc/Rchg(25), CldSns-ToHitDeb/EndRdx/Rchg(27), CldSns-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg(27), CldSns-%Dam(29) Level 22: Hasten -- RechRdx-I(A), RechRdx-I(23) Level 24: Suppressive Fire -- BslGaz-Acc/Hold(A), BslGaz-Acc/Rchg(43), BslGaz-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(43), BslGaz-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(43) Level 26: Piercing Rounds -- Artl-Acc/Dam(A), Artl-Dam/End(37), Artl-Dam/Rech(37), Artl-Acc/Dam/Rech(40), Artl-Acc/Rech/Rng(42), Artl-End/Rech/Rng(42) Level 28: Dark Consumption -- Erd-Acc/Rchg(A), Erd-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(40), Erd-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(45) Level 30: Experimental Injection -- Prv-Absorb%(A) Level 32: Hail of Bullets -- FrcFdb-Rechg%(A), FuroftheG-ResDeb%(33), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/Rchg(33), SprAvl-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg(33), Arm-Dmg/Rchg(34), Arm-Dam%(34) Level 35: Dark Pit -- AbsAmz-ToHitDeb%(A), AbsAmz-Stun/Rchg(36), AbsAmz-Acc/Stun/Rchg(36), AbsAmz-Acc/Rchg(36), AbsAmz-EndRdx/Stun(37) Level 38: Midnight Grasp -- SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg(A), SprBlsCol-Dmg/EndRdx(39), SprBlsCol-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx(39), SprBlsCol-Dmg/EndRdx/Acc/Rchg(39), SprBlsCol-Rchg/HoldProc(40) Level 41: Dark Embrace -- StdPrt-ResDam/Def+(A), GldArm-3defTpProc(42), UnbGrd-ResDam(48), UnbGrd-ResDam/EndRdx(49) Level 44: Oppressive Gloom -- HO:Endo(A) Level 47: Soul Storm -- BslGaz-Acc/Hold(A), BslGaz-Acc/Rchg(47), BslGaz-EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(47), BslGaz-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg/Hold(48) Level 49: Adrenal Booster -- RechRdx-I(A) Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A) Level 1: Defiance Level 1: Sprint -- UnbLea-Stlth(A) Level 2: Rest -- Empty(A) Level 2: Swift -- Run-I(A) Level 2: Health -- Pnc-Heal/+End(A) Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I(A) Level 2: Stamina -- PrfShf-End%(A) Level 6: Chemical Ammunition Level 6: Cryo Ammunition Level 6: Incendiary Ammunition Level 50: Musculature Radial Paragon ------------ | Copy & Paste this data into Mids Reborn : Hero Designer to view the build | |-------------------------------------------------------------------| |MxDz;1408;703;1406;HEX;| |78DA5D934B4F135114C7EF746678B6D05ADE6DA1E559280CC585890B43A2106368B| |1B11FA0196142260ED3B10F84A50BF76A342680E2D2F85AA96BF5336834D19D0AC6| |58255197663CCCFF888D93767E73CF3DCF7BCECDAECFF91F9FBE3C2BA4C0294B2F9| |70B27E95D314A6A565F3197C4C1D348FF088B0BE7747BC558D6E6AABA55C899E54A| |D12A8FFCDDCB571DA758AA68737AE9826D90AFAC6E9B4ED5D22B66D1161DB962D1D| |2E6D71DA364AE1A76C593FA3D61C6D01DD35E09798B33F69A5936CF9B9659D968F1| |2479C73096A3F38EB9A465BD48ABA6BD5CC817AB5601EB8D1E4A7188FEBD417A490| |749BB8AB8A70831A308DF7DE6035079C87C045EEC10FCB8F4A347F405D989705549| |40ABC1C794C02699A9802D2A989B104286AD4F7EEFF364FE880CBEC33A4AFE5564E| |9C68238E0838C1BAF60BF6D0FFA6D4FE033F894F90CEC228366D8CBCD9D12E2FFA6| |654C11530BB04DFF004B545D2B9F48EB28FC4F2699E3E0D404330506C87F003622C| |0FEABE4A7DD3B15576DDF84EFE816D8BFCDBCCDBC032676C001AA31047F6A680631| |8E68CC49B0639A9906BB5E10C38A58A3B861B60D7FF07935F67C647E02FB76997B6| |0F43338487574C256EA4C11669A4517B39F72EAC6B9CBDDAFA03FF19AF986F9168C| |936E2FCF43AFAC7AF90D2B4C151C6B00C71B994DE025CA3FC2F310F9027F635FC1C| |91AB8483313E3F38ED5F8EC28E600C71CE0B988CF622FBE833988DF0513C77D5E4D| |8913D05BA79883DCF3C1B3900D2D3033CC2C38BC086E90CD08CFE1C855F81DBDC6B| |CCEBC018EDD049F533A499EC364B7E4D5327E14394EFFE439FC05EEFB8548718DA9| |63840659BCA42D8D7BA0710F34EE81C63D98E61EE4E98CD27C4BD3DCC3A8F2FFCD4| |D2887F7DFCDFCFBA62B892A73CAE1CD169267516B21096B4953C2D3FA5E2F4B20FF| |6FF5B224F4F6EB65B710613344771B11DCADBAEFEDBAEF4C985439CB3FFD73D77C| |-------------------------------------------------------------------| There are other build templates geared towards survival of course, and those will include tough/weave/leadership for additional defense and resist. If you truly want to be successful as a melee blaster, builds only contribute 25% to your success, understanding game mechanics/mob factions and problem targets and mastering movement will carry you far more than any build.

Ok, I'm going to start with the fundamentals. Help me fix this mess (Beam/Temp) - Blaster - Homecoming (homecomingservers.com) I'm not going to re-write everything I wrote in that post but the general principal of making builds is to define 1 or 2 goals and stack as many set bonuses as you can towards those goals, you will most likely over commit and exceed your goals but that's ok, the next step is to cut back and fine tune. If you care to read through that post you'll learn some specific details/examples of fine-tuning. Set bonuses that people normally chase for blasters are: Recharge Defense HP (Slow Resist) - my recommendation Recharge is always good, except when there's too much. The recharge cap is 400% and that's including hasten, set bonuses, incarnate, and the recharge enhancement in a power. As you approach higher numbers of recharge the amount of time that you shave from powers will have diminishing returns. Sometimes the difference between having 80% global recharge + hasten and 100+% global recharge and hasten amounts to shaving a few seconds off a longish power like your nuke, and a fraction of a microsecond off your shorter bread and butter powers like bullet rain or executioner's shot, at which point you need to ask yourself if all that investment and opportunity cost of being able to invest those slots into other things like HP or defense is worth the 2-3 seconds for your nuke. Defense gets you the most bang for the buck survival wise for most non-armored ATs, especially those that lack mez protection. There are 2 categories of defense - typed and positional. Typed deals with smashing/lethal/fire/cold etc.. and positional deals with 3 vectors - melee, range, and area of effect. If you are mobile you can make sure that you minimize your exposure to melee range and force enemies to attack you with ranged attacks, hence range defense is the most practical of all the defenses to build for. You might be thinking "well I need to be in melee so how can I just depend on range defense?" And here's something that no build can teach you. Learn to joust, learn the art of movement, that's how you can minimize your exposure to melee. Right before you fire a melee range attack jump backwards/sideways/forwards, the momentum will carry you out of the patch and you will animate your attack when you land. Practice that in a lowbie zone against lowbie mobs. The timing isn't super difficult for single target melee attacks, but the positioning needs to be tighter for small radius PbAoEs like dark consumption and the timing needs to be much tighter for ground based powers such as foot stomp. Also consider the fact that you can build up melee defense and that might offer you some protection on things you are aiming to kill in a few hits, but that defense does absolutely nothing against everyone else taking potshots at you from range, many of which carry debuffs. Back to defense, there are some magical numbers - 45% defense is the softcap, meaning normal non-incarnate content mobs will have only a 5% chance to hit you, 32.5% defense is a sweet spot for many because the remaining 12.5% can be covered with just a small luck or via team buffs. If you are always teaming this is a good number to shoot for, you can be quite self sufficient with that number against +0/+1 content and team buffs can top you off for harder difficulties. I'm going to skip HP as that is self explanatory but I will spend a little time on slow resist. As a melee blaster the absolute wrong assumption on how to play it is to stand your ground like a tank all the time. You need to be mobile, you need to weave in and out of combat and use the melee stuff when opportunities present themselves. An immobile blaster, especially one that does not fly, is a dead blaster. If you've ever stood in a caltrops field you know how unpleasant and how dangerous that can be for squishies. Also, your recharge bonuses can get neutered if you don't have slow resist, and if you can't cycle your attacks and kill things quickly, you are a dead blaster. Do not skimp on slow resist. You don't need 100%, but make sure you pack some. Unfortunate the majority of slow resist come from winter IOs which can be very pricey, but since you have a farmer I'm going to assume that's something you can work towards. Next power breakdown: Consider the pairing and how much it leans into melee blasting I'd say cones like empty clips may require too much repositioning any may lead to clunkier play experience. Everything else is usable but you can make an argument to skip either pistols or dual wield in favor of some punches. People generally agree that death shroud and shadow maul are two very skippable powers, the former is prone to detoggle and just not worth it, and the latter has a long animation time and is a cone that requires a bit of positioning. One thing you should pay attention to in general with builds is whether a power does knockback, if it does and has a base recharge longer than 10 seconds it's a good candidate for a force feedback proc, because we all love recharge. The knockback from most dual pistols attacks go away when you use special ammunition but the game still sees the IO and will still trigger. Blaster builds are pretty tight and generally can't use too many procs but if you can fit them in here are the ones to consider: force feedback +rech (any power that does knockback), Annihilation -res (in targetted AoE), Fury of the gladiator -res (in melee PBAOE), achilles heel -res (in any power that does -def), the only proc that I would slot in more than one power is force feedback, more chances for more recharge is good. The others do not stack their effects onto itself if they trigger again (Annihilation proc triggering twice doesn't double the effect) Since you are going to take dark pit you can try to stack stuns on mobs with oppressive gloom from the villain patron soul mastery. Instead of melee defense stacking these two should give you momentary reprieve from things in melee range so you can unleash your melee stuff and then get out. Conventional builds for survival pretty much boils down to 4 pools - Speed, Leap, Leadership and Fighting. In the context of what you want to do we can try something off the beaten path. I have something a bit less cookie cutter in mind, but if you want to take a crack at doing an initial draft to highlight what you want to do, we can work on refining that as well, and we can do that in the next post.

Welcome to the melee blaster club. Take my upvote. First. what kind of capital, and what do you prefer to use as your combat movement power? Besides being able to punch face, any other requirements/must have powers or pools, etc...? Do you prefer to solo or team, if you solo do you challenge yourself on high difficulty settings? what's your level of comfort? On teams do you trust your teammates to provide some cover/protection or do you want to be self sufficient? Do you want to focus on damage or survival? or a balance?

I fully endorse your desire to play mace/regen. Regen thrives on recharge and Mace is ripe with force feedback proc opportunities which can help you cycle moment of glory and shadow meld. The combo won't be super OP but it'll still be able to hold its own. Axes are very viking, and they are just like mace but with even MORE force feedback proc opportunities. Build for S/L defense, recharge and slow resist. It should be enough to let you take on x8 content, maybe not x4/8 against all factions but it'll hold.

Here's a thought, what if you played the EA MM and had the crabbermind as passive support??? Mind... Blown... Do eet Do eet Do eeet!

Ya I read the post more closer! And edited my response. EA is not a good fit for a passive dual box support.

I think electric affinity support will work well. It's the premier set for survival and covers all the holes, especially that pesky kb hole for pets. You might as well make it a mastermind so you have ALL the pets. Demons is probably the best bet for the primary. But if you want to stay on the natural/tech theme mercs or bots should be fine as well. Isn't the guassian's proc rate affected by the number of pets if it's placed in TT leadership or tactics? I think I read somewhere it scales based on teammates/pets so that's an extra bonus if that's still true. I read the post again, nevermind, EA is an active set and won't fit your need., maybe Cold, give your pets some more defense and exotic resistance, and benumb the occasional hard target.

The first 3 attacks are fairly fast but the other attacks are indeed on the longish side. Seasoned builders will tell you to skip concentrated strike and load up on procs on the early attacks to make up for not having a real heavy hitter. If going that way I'd recommend pairing it with a secondary that offers a recharge boost, as you will need more recharge to string those early attacks into a smooth attack chain. For the blue patch during battle maiden, learn to joust. It will change the way you play the game. Right before you fire a long animating attack jump backwards/sideways/forwards, the momentum will carry you out of the patch and you will animate your attack when you land. Practice that in a lowbie zone against lowbie mobs. The timing isn't super difficult for single target melee attacks, but the positioning needs to be tighter for small radius PbAoEs like burst and the timing needs to be much tighter for ground based powers such as foot stomp.

You can always choose not to interact with the beggars. Besides the "inf no problem build plz," posts, I also ignore posts like "I suck at builds so I need a build" or "I need a build cuz there are none posted" and I see the same discussion on the build a few posts down. I don't feel inclined to help those people that aren't willing to put in any effort, and it's not hard to spot the repeat offenders. That's not to say that I'm going to call them out and nag about it though. My not interacting with them doesn't interfere with their ability to do whatever they want to do nor my ability to enjoy my game. However I am concerned about the lurkers. I think there are a lot more lurkers than beggars that actually scour the forums and copy builds, I see quite a few necro posts commenting on builds for followup. Some people do the work but they are too shy to ask for help. And if they piggyback on a beggar post and copy a shitty build and perpetuate that as a "good build" to their peers then that to me is a problem. For example I see builds inspired by fire farming templates that gets billed as general content builds. Another common example are those builds that skip key powers or take them very late in game progression, which is not a good fit for a leveling build or a build that plans to exemp down for content. I also know for a fact that some lurkers are quite capable of making builds, and they just need a little help to fine tune them. Examples below: Beam/TA build needs yours assistance - Blaster - Homecoming (homecomingservers.com) Help me fix this mess (Beam/Temp) - Blaster - Homecoming (homecomingservers.com) So here is a call to action for the lurkers that feel they need a bit more help after scouring the forums: Just like anything else in life, raises for example, if you don't ask you will never get it. So ask. But make sure you ask nuanced questions with specific goals, the devil is in the details. Protip - if you see any build with multiple full 6 slotted purple sets that should give you pause. People that build like that most likely do not have very optimized builds. You can certainly use such a build as a template, tweek it/post it and ask for additional feedback (Is this build good? I'm looking to do XYZ, is it a good fit? can it be better?). Even that little bit shows effort and you are more likely to get real help from legit build experts. And to the people helping, explain the why, please. Don't just throw up a build without context. Do that not just for the OP but for the lurkers. I understand some people can't use mids, but they can still ask for help, and they can still ask in a way that shows that they put in some effort. If someone presented a google spreadsheet on a post asking for help that absolutely incentivizes me to help them make the best build possible based on their requirements.

I've never made a panda that people didn't like. Except for Pottymouth panda, he's a pottymouth.

The build looks like it was built off a fire farm template. But if built for that purpose the accuracy is way too low to reliably hit +4 or +3 mobs in such a farm. (In mids go to options-configuration, navigate to the exemp and base values tab and set the base to hit to 39 to simulate your to hit against +4 mobs.) And if the intent is to build for extreme survival you are also ignoring that transfusion and some of the other Kinetics powers play a very large part in that strategy, and again, their accuracy is too low to consistently hit during those clutch moments when you need a heal to top you off. As it stands transfusion has a 57% chance to hit against +4s and the other key kin powers such as fulcrum shift are even lower. I think anyone that looks at those values will agree that's not enough against +4s. Tactics from leadership pool can help your chances to hit but instead you took assault, and late game that power is obsolete because you can get to the damage cap through fulcrum shift. There is a place for assault early game, but based on your desire to build for survival I'd take tactics over assault so you can land your heals. Consume is redundant when you have transference, acrobatics can easily be replaced by a KB protect IO. I used acrobatics for a long time on live and it can help muscle through one hold, but there are tons of sleeps/stuns out there and what acro covers is so narrow compared to it's end use and how deep into a power pool you need to dig to get it, that it's simply more efficient to carry breakfrees and get a kb protection IO. The power definitely could use a rework. Fire/Cold defense is way over the softcap and as such a lot of slots are wasted on extra F/C defense that you don't need, Even for Fire farms you only need 45% fire defense, no more. And for general content F/C defense is the least desirable. I find a combination of S/L and Range Defense will have 99% of attack types/vectors covered for those ATs without mez protection. Thinking that you need to go into melee range means you need to build for melee defense is the biggest trap that I see newbie players that play blasters/defenders and other squishies fall into. Of the defenses range defense is more important, range defense works whether you are 10 feet away from the mob or 50 feet away, as long as they can't swing at you. If you learn to move and position yourself carefully you won't need melee defense all that much. You can also rearrange your power pick selection so that you pick up siphon speed earlier. You really don't need hasten at level 6, nor do you need vengeance by level 30. If you get rid of consume and acrobatics you can pick another attack. I find shockwave a good and consistent mitigation tool with a kb-kd proc. It recharges fairly fast and does fairly reliable knockdown. On the other hand if you are more offense oriented screech is another -res debuff and you can use that on tough boss/av fights to further whittle down mob resistance. TL;DR version Improve your accuracy, get rid of the extra fire defense, re-examine your power picks.

Is your friend punching stuff in the face as well? Side by side dark blast should not feel lacking compared to electric blast, however some players choose to play entirely ranged blasters which means they skip all the melee attacks in the secondary, and when you put that up against a player that embraces the melee attacks to punch face as well as blast face, the former will feel lacking at times. Share your build, maybe it's your power selections, maybe it's your slotting, having that context helps.

The level 44 TF I've joined are level 44 +4/8 enemies buffed no insp no temp. All blaster ITFs under that setting is fun, even more fun without any hover blasters or bonfire.